Intergenerational transmission of child‐rearing styles mediated by adult attachment: A structural equation model approach

Abstract

Abstract Aim Parenting styles are determinants of psychosocial maladjustment in the subsequent generation. Modifiable factors that positively impact intergenerational transmission should be identified. Thus, this study investigated the mediating effects of adult attachment on the transmission of child‐rearing styles and the combined impact of fathers' and mothers' styles on their offspring's parenting. Methods Overall, 396 fathers and 733 mothers participated. They were married or cohabiting when their children aged 0–10 years attended a pediatric office in Japan. The pediatricians distributed the self‐report questionnaires to examine perceived rearing (the Parental Bonding Instrument), adult attachment (the Relationship Questionnaire), and demographic characteristics. We then analyzed the data using structural equation modeling that illustrated intergenerational transmission of rearing styles between grandparents and parents. Results Overall, 385 fathers (Mage = 35.5 years, SD = 6.0) and 699 mothers (Mage = 33.5 years, SD = 5.1) satisfied the eligibility criteria. The path models showed that adult attachment to partners mediated grandparental and parental care. However, no mediating effect was observed in other intergenerational patterns that transmitted overprotective rearing styles. Additionally, combined grandfather and grandmother care were positively associated with parental overprotection. Conclusion This study suggested the potential of adult attachment in mediating loving, empathic, and warm rearing styles and the combined effects of both parents' styles on promoting the next‐generation parents' overprotective styles. Our findings clarify how to terminate the negative chain of the parent–child transmission.

Keywords

• adult attachment
• covariance structure analysis
• mediating effects
• parent–child transmission
• parenting styles